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Founder-Owner, Apple Grove Living

Ed Apple Sr. has a keen eye for quality and comfort, a lot of faith in serendipity, a talent for storytelling, and a strong desire to create an enjoyable quality of life for the special seniors in his care—superior to that which his own grandmother, an Alzheimer’s patient, experienced during her declining years in a nursing home.

He vividly recalls visiting her as a boy, in a tiny room with no place to sit but the side of her bed; he remembers the straps and restraints that tied her to her bed, the unpleasant odors, the dark, gloomy halls and depressing prison atmosphere.
The memory stayed with him through the years, during a three-year hitch with the U.S. Army in Berlin, years of working in his father’s construction company in Memphis, a successful real estate career from the late 60’s through the mid 80’s, and eventually into the development of homes for retirement living.

Determined to make a difference by creating an environment in which Alzheimer’s and dementia patients could live in a home-like setting with dignity and comfort, Apple bought and developed three assisted-living facilities in and around Atlanta, Georgia, and learned from his experiences in managing and operating them. One of the three was the first stand-alone facility in Georgia dedicated solely to the care of Alzheimer’s patients.

Along the way to creating Apple Grove—a true “home” and showplace which Apple designed and built on the site of the happy home where he himself had lived for 25 years on Hack’s Cross Road—he hasn’t been idle. A family man with two children and three grandchildren, Apple remembers early struggles with ADHD and dyslexia that he is proud to have overcome.

In addition to his work, Apple’s love for dogs led him into community service as a FEMA K-9 Search Specialist and K-9 evaluator—jobs he has performed with distinction for 14 years, including deployments with his search dogs to the Pentagon on 9-11, the site of the space ship Columbia disaster in Texas, the Gulf Coast following Katrina, and several other disasters. He has served as a volunteer with the Shelby County Sheriff’s Department Emergency Services team, responding with his search dog to numerous call-outs over the last 13 years, including missing person searches for Alzheimer’s patients, water recovery, and human remains detection cases. His current K-9 partner, a black Labrador Retriever named Sam, follows him around Apple Grove daily, to the delight of residents and visitors.

What special challenges did you face during the creation of Apple Grove?

Financing the design and saving my trees were real problems. I was determined to build the floor plan around those large trees, but it took almost three months just to get the “footprint” established; even then, it took another 12 months to complete the plans, putting us three months behind schedule.

Fortunately, my dad moved to Memphis in 1941, and he built a reputation for quality in home remodeling. He was a perfectionist and would not tolerate unprofessional behavior or poor workmanship on his job site. I learned my construction and design skills from him—and the Apple reputation preceded my own effort.

The smallest details are important in planning; our hallway handrails, for example, are crafted of smooth wood that feels good as well as looks good—and a gentle, rounded corner that joins the wall at each end stops the walker’s hand and warns them that they’re running out of rail. A lot of loving thought has gone into this place.

What special features were required in a residence dedicated to Alzheimer’s care and dementia that are not needed in traditional senior living facilities?

More personnel are needed to provide an appropriate level of oversight care; and security is a real priority. One of the main symptoms of Alzheimer’s is the tendency to wander. These patients feel the need to keep in motion, going somewhere. It is important to allow adequate space inside and outside, with room to travel down a path to a destination—and to keep a watchful eye on them so they don’t wander off, creating additional risk. That’s why we have 16 strategically located cameras that allow us to monitor their location and safety.

Providing an appropriate level of mental stimulation—keeping them active and engaged seven days a week—is another element vital to both their mental and physical health.

Projects, crafts, exercise, and other activities and entertainment, including a large-screen movie theatre, are needed to keep them engaged, alert, focused and happy.

Apple Grove has been operational for about 18 months; is it working as you planned?

We are well pleased with where we are, despite an initial setback due largely to the stock market plunge. We have been well received in Memphis, and have received a lot of compliments comparing us to Disney World or a country resort!
Part of the reason for our success is our private ownership with owner management, I believe. This makes for a family atmosphere and the flexibility to make necessary changes immediately, without the usual red tape delays.

Is healthcare reform likely to impact Apple Grove’s continued success?

As we are a private pay residence we don’t rely on government programs or subsidies, so healthcare reform is not likely to have much of an effect on us. Although not much is known about the details yet, what we have heard leads us to believe that it will be helpful to seniors overall.

Do you have any new initiatives that you are working on now?

We have several new things under consideration that will aid us in the care and safety of our residents, but prefer not to discuss them just yet. It’s a continually evolving process—we’re always finding new and better ways to do things, and developing better solutions.

What are your goals for the future?
We are making plans now to expand to other markets, and Nashville is first on the list. We know there is a need for our type of residence and the way we manage our patients. Everything we have learned from designing, developing and operating this Memphis prototype will help us create new environments where our residents can live comfortably in a home-like setting.

What accomplishments are you most proud of?

My family, especially Mary Anne, my wife of 45 years, my son Ed Junior and daughter Laurie Anne and their children, are a great source of pride to me.

Operating the first stand-alone facility in Georgia was a proud accomplishment that allowed me to progress to building Apple Grove. Because of the success of the Georgia facilities, an international company purchased them, enabling me to achieve what has been realized here at Apple Grove—of which I am also very proud.

I believe things happen for a reason—even those things that appear to be accidental. Especially during my search for key personnel to help manage and improve Apple Grove, there were so many fortunate coincidences that directed my choices: chance meetings, unexpected recommendations offered at strategic moments, ‘small world’ interconnections… It seems a lot like chance, but I’ve been blessed—well blessed.

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